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Morocco Desert Tours

Every tour on this page spends at least one night in a Sahara camp reached on camelback: at Merzouga on the Erg Chebbi dunes or, on the two-day trip from Marrakech, at Zagora. There are 22 desert tours of two to seven days, leaving from Marrakech, Fes, Casablanca, Tangier and Agadir.

Pick the desert first, then the city you start from, then the number of days you can spare. Each card opens the full day-by-day itinerary with what is and is not included. Longer Morocco tours that pass through the Sahara are listed further down the page.

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A camel caravan crossing the Sahara dunes
Duration
2–7 days
Desert tours
22 private
Start from
5 cities

Choose your desert

Merzouga or Zagora: which desert?

Merzouga sits on the Erg Chebbi dunes, which rise to about 150 m, roughly 535 km from Marrakech, so it needs three days from Marrakech or two from Fes. Zagora is about 350 km from Marrakech, its dunes are modest, and it fits a two-day trip. Most of the tours below spend their desert night at Merzouga; the two-day trip from Marrakech goes to Zagora. The full comparison is in Merzouga or Zagora, and the village, the dunes and the seasons are covered in our Merzouga and Erg Chebbi guide.

Plan your time

How many days do you need?

Three days is the classic desert tour from Marrakech, and our three-day Marrakech to Merzouga loop is one of our most popular itineraries: a night in the Dades Gorges on the way out, a night in the dunes, then either the long drive back or the road north to Fes. Two days only works where the road is short enough: Zagora from Marrakech, or Merzouga from Fes. Four and five days keep the same single desert night and spread the driving over more of the gorges and valleys; six and seven days put a city at each end.

The reasoning behind these lengths, with real driving times, is in how many days you need in Morocco; the road from Marrakech is described leg by leg in the Marrakech to Merzouga distance guide.

Not sure which one fits your dates? Tell us your dates and we will suggest a tour.

From Marrakech

Desert tours from Marrakech

Nine tours of two to seven days: round trips back to Marrakech and crossings that end in Fes. See every tour from Marrakech.

From Fes

Desert tours from Fes

Six tours: short Merzouga loops from Fes and crossings that end in Marrakech. See every tour from Fes.

From Casablanca

Desert tours from Casablanca

Three tours that start with a night in Fes, reach Merzouga and end in Marrakech. See every tour from Casablanca.

From Tangier

Desert tours from Tangier

One desert tour that runs south through Chefchaouen and Fes to Merzouga and ends in Marrakech. See every tour from Tangier.

From Agadir

Desert tours from Agadir

Three round trips from the coast to Merzouga. See every tour from Agadir.

Compare

Compare all 22 desert tours by days

Round trip or end in another city?

Merzouga lies between Marrakech and Fes, so a crossing sees the same dunes and the same kind of camp as a loop but finishes in the other city instead of driving back the way you came. The Marrakech to Fes and Fes to Marrakech tours of three to seven days work this way. The Casablanca tours of four to six days end in Marrakech, as does the Tangier tour; the Agadir tours return to Agadir. Choose a round trip if you need to come back for a flight or a hotel, and a crossing if you plan to see both imperial cities. Every card below says which it is.

DaysStartDesert nightFinishSuitsTours
2MarrakechZagoraMarrakechA weekend: a real desert night without a third dayMarrakech to Zagora, 2 days
2FesMerzougaFesThe Erg Chebbi dunes on a short break from FesFes to Merzouga, 2 days
3MarrakechMerzougaMarrakechThe classic loop: the big dunes with the least time awayMarrakech to Merzouga, 3 days
3MarrakechSahara camp (the itinerary describes a Merzouga and a Zagora version: confirm when you enquire)FesCrossing the country without a drive backMarrakech to Fes, 3 days
3FesMerzougaFes or MarrakechA full day in the desert (loop), or a crossing that ends in MarrakechFes loop, 3 days · Fes to Marrakech, 3 days
4 to 5MarrakechMerzougaMarrakech or FesThe same desert night with Skoura, the Rose Valley and the gorges at an easier pace4-day loop · 5-day loop · 4 days to Fes · 5 days to Fes
4 to 6FesMerzougaMarrakechFes, the Middle Atlas and the desert, then on to Marrakech4 days · 5 days · 6 days
4 to 6CasablancaMerzougaMarrakechLanding at Casablanca and seeing Fes, the desert and Marrakech in one trip4 days · 5 days · 6 days
5TangierMerzougaMarrakechEntering Morocco from the north and leaving from MarrakechTangier to Marrakech, 5 days
4 to 7AgadirMerzougaAgadirA desert circuit from the coast that returns to Agadir4 days · 5 days · 7 days
6 to 7MarrakechMerzougaMarrakech (6 days) or Fes (7 days)A city at each end with the desert in the middle6-day loop · 7 days to Fes

In the desert

What a Morocco desert tour is actually like

The drive is most of the trip

Merzouga is 535 to 555 km from Marrakech, nine to ten hours of driving over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, past Ait Benhaddou and Ouarzazate and through the Dades and Todgha gorges. That is why our Marrakech tours split the outbound drive over two days with a night in the Dades Gorges, and why the shortest loop drives back in one long day. From Fes the road is about 460 km and seven to eight hours, through Ifrane, the cedar forest and the Ziz valley, which is why an overnight in the dunes with a return the next day is realistic from there. On the desert day itself expect the morning in the car: the camel ride comes in the late afternoon. The road is described stop by stop in our Marrakech to Merzouga distance guide.

Arrival, the camel ride and sunset

You reach the edge of the dunes in the afternoon and, on several itineraries, are met with mint tea before the ride. A camel for each traveller is included on every tour on this page. Where our pages give a length for the ride to the camp it is about an hour and a half, with stops for photographs, and on the two-day Fes tour the camel guide takes you to a viewpoint about forty minutes before sunset. On our camel programmes the car and heavy luggage stay in storage in the village and you carry a small bag to the camp; the loop and crossing itineraries do not state where luggage stays, so ask when you book. Longer rides and walks with the camel men are on our camel trekking page.

The night in the camp

The camp is a Berber tent camp among the dunes. Dinner is included on every tour on this page, and most itineraries describe the evening the same way: a traditional dinner, then drums and music around a fire, and the stars. What the pages do not describe is the tent itself: bathrooms, hot water, electricity, Wi-Fi and bedding are not stated, and only one itinerary on this page, the eight-day Marrakech to Fes tour, offers a choice between a standard and a luxury camp. If any of those decide it for you, ask us before you book rather than assume. The night is colder than the day suggests: from November to March you sleep in your layers.

Sunrise and the way back

Many itineraries mention the sunrise over the dunes, and the two-day Fes tour says the camp staff wake you for it. Breakfast is included on every tour here. Then you either ride back to the village, where the car is waiting, or, on the tours with a full desert day, stay around the dunes: the six-day Fes to Marrakech tour describes a 4×4 day that includes Khamlia's Gnawa musicians, and the five-day Marrakech loop visits the nomad families and Khamlia. Sandboarding appears on some itineraries, so treat it as a possibility rather than a fixture. From Merzouga a loop drives back to Marrakech in one day, a crossing continues north through the Ziz valley and the Middle Atlas to Fes, and the Agadir tours return to the coast. What to pack and whether the night is worth the driving are answered at length in what to expect on a Sahara desert tour.

Travellers on a camel ride in the Sahara dunesTented desert camp below the dunes at sunset

Longer circuits

Longer Morocco tours including the Sahara

These circuits spend one or two nights at Merzouga inside a longer tour of the imperial cities.

Included

What every tour on this page includes

A camel ride to the camp and the night in a Berber tent among the dunes, and the drive there by road: over the High Atlas past Ait Benhaddou and the Dades Gorges on the Marrakech routes, and down through the Middle Atlas and the Ziz Valley on the Fes routes. What the night is like, what to pack and how your luggage is handled are covered in what to expect on a Sahara desert tour; the rides themselves, and multi-day treks with the camel men, are on our camel trekking page.

Frequently asked questions

Which desert tour is best from Marrakech?

The three-day Marrakech to Merzouga loop is the shortest trip that reaches the Erg Chebbi dunes and returns to Marrakech. With only two days, the Zagora trip is the alternative. With four days or more, the Marrakech to Fes crossings add Fes at the end instead of driving back.

How many days do you need for a Morocco desert tour?

Two days reaches Zagora from Marrakech or Merzouga from Fes; three days is the usual minimum for Merzouga from Marrakech because the dunes are about 535 km away; four to seven days add the gorges, a second city or a slower pace. See how many days you need in Morocco.

Is Merzouga worth the extra day compared with Zagora?

If the big dunes are the point of the trip, yes: Erg Chebbi at Merzouga rises to about 150 m, while Zagora's dunes are modest. If you cannot spare the third day, Zagora is still a real desert night. The comparison is set out in Merzouga or Zagora.

Can you start a desert tour from Fes, Casablanca, Tangier or Agadir?

Yes. This page lists six desert tours from Fes, three from Casablanca, one from Tangier and three from Agadir, as well as nine from Marrakech. Each city has its own page with every tour that starts there.

Do all of these tours include a camel ride and a night in a desert camp?

Yes. Every tour on this page includes a camel ride to the camp and a night in a Berber tent in the desert; the exact inclusions and exclusions are listed on each tour's page. What the night is like is described in what to expect on a Sahara desert tour.

When is the best time for a Sahara desert tour?

Autumn and spring are the most comfortable seasons; summer afternoons in the desert are very hot, and nights are much colder than days all year round. Month-by-month averages for Merzouga and the cities are in Morocco weather by month.

Is a Morocco desert tour worth it?

Yes, if the dunes are the point: nothing else on a Morocco trip looks like Erg Chebbi at sunset, and the night, with the drums, the cold and the stars, is what people remember. On every tour on this page the drive is most of the trip and the night is the reason for it. The three-day Merzouga loop gives you one desert night and about two days of road; the four- and five-day tours give the same night with more of the gorges and valleys on the way. Think twice if you have two days and would rather see a city. Our guide to what to expect on a Sahara desert tour goes through the whole sequence.

What happens to my luggage on a desert tour?

You reach the camp by camel, so you take a small bag with what you need for one night. On the camel programmes on our camel trekking page, your car and heavy luggage stay in storage in the village before the ride. The loop and crossing itineraries on this page do not say where luggage stays overnight, so ask when you book, and pack the small bag before you reach Merzouga because the ride follows soon after you arrive.

How cold is the desert at night?

Colder than the day suggests. Merzouga's modelled averages give nights of 6 to 8 °C from December to February and 11 to 17 °C in the shoulder months, and the Errachidia weather station, the nearest measured reference, averages 2 °C on January nights. From November to March bring a warm layer you can sleep in. Month-by-month figures for the desert, the cities and the coast are in Morocco weather by month.

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